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Purpose: This study aims to investigate the correlation between pretreatment serum lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutations, as well as its predictive value for progression-free survival (PFS) in advanced lung adenocarcinoma patients receiving epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) therapy., Patients and Methods: We determined the optimal cutoff value for Lp(a) by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and Youden's index to categorize Lp(a) into high and low groups. Logistic regression was used to analyze the EGFR mutation rate in different groups. Additionally, the relationship between pretreatment Lp(a) levels and prognostic PFS in patients with advanced (TNM stage IIIB-IV) lung adenocarcinoma treated with EGFR-TKIs was retrospectively analyzed by Cox regression, survival and stratified analysis methods., Results: We included 338 advanced lung adenocarcinoma patients, with median age of 64 years, and slightly more female patients (51.8%), most of whom had no smoking history (70.7%), no history of chronic lung disease (87.9%), and stage IV (81.1%) patients. The EGFR gene mutation rate was 55.3% and 123 patients were included in the prognostic evaluation through screening. The optimal cutoff value for Lp(a) was 20.48 mg/L. The mutation rate in the high Lp(a) group was significantly lower than the low Lp(a) group (48.0% vs 65.5%, p = 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that Lp(a) is an independent predictor of EGFR mutations (OR = 0.41, 95% CI: 0.25-0.66, p <0.001). Survival analysis showed that the median PFS was significantly longer in the high Lp(a) level group compared to the low level group (16.1 months, 95% CI: 11.9-23.8 months vs 9.6 months, 95% CI: 8.9-13.3 months, p =0.015). Multivariate analysis confirmed that Lp(a) is an independent predictor of PFS in advanced lung adenocarcinoma patients receiving EGFR-TKIs treatment (HR = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.26-0.68, p <0.001)., Conclusion: Pretreatment Lp(a) may be a biomarker for EGFR mutations and the PFS in advanced lung adenocarcinoma patients undergoing EGFR-TKIs treatment., Competing Interests: The author(s) report no conflicts of interest in this work., (© 2024 Liu et al.)

Background: The incidence and mortality rates of cancer are the highest globally. Developing novel methodologies that precisely, safely, and economically differentiate between benign and malignant lung conditions holds immense clinical importance. This research seeks to construct a predictive model utilizing a combination of diverse biomarkers to effectively discriminate between benign and malignant lung diseases., Methods: This retrospective study included patients admitted to the two general hospitals in Shanghai from 2014 to 2015. This study was developed using five tumor markers: carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 199 (CA199), cytokeratin fragment 21-1 (CA211), squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC), and neuron specific enolase (NSE). The entire sample was divided into two groups according to the hospital: 1033 cases were included in the development cohort and 300 cases in the validation cohort. Logistic regression analysis was used for univariate analysis to explore individual correlations between each selected clinical variable and lung cancer diagnostic outcome. Diagnostic prediction models were constructed and validated based on independent prognostic factors identified using multifactorial analysis. A nomogram was created using these tumor markers (age and sex were additionally included) and validated using the concordance index and calibration curves. Clinical prediction models were evaluated using decision curve analysis., Results: Fully adjusted multivariate analysis showed that the risk of lung cancer was 2.38 times higher in men than in women. CEA positivity was associated with an 13.41-fold increased risk in lung cancer. The area under the curve (AUC) values for the development cohort and validation cohort models were 0.907 and 0.954, respectively. In the established nomogram, the AUC for the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.907 (95% CI, 0.889-0.925). The validation model confirmed the strong discriminative power of the nomogram (AUC = 0.954). The described calibration curves demonstrated good fit predictions and observation probabilities. In addition, decision curve analysis concluded that the newly established nomogram has important implications for clinical decision making., Conclusions: Combined prediction models based on CEA, CA199, CA211, SCC, and NSE biomarkers could significantly the differentiation between benign and malignant lung diseases, thus facilitating better clinical decision making., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Hu, Guo, Ye, Ma, Zhang, Wang, Wan, Qiu, Liu, Luo, Zhang, Yu, Xu, Wei and Zeng.)

The low formation energies of metal halide perovskites endow them with potential luminescent materials for applications in information encryption and decryption. However, reversible encryption and decryption are greatly hindered by the difficulty in robustly integrating perovskite ingredients into carrier materials. Here, we report an effective strategy to realize information encryption and decryption by reversible synthesis of halide perovskites, on the lead oxide hydroxide nitrates (Pb 13 O 8 (OH) 6 (NO 3 ) 4 ) anchored zeolitic imidazolate framework composites. Benefiting from the superior stability of ZIF-8 in combination with the strong bond between Pb and N evidenced by X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the as-prepared Pb 13 O 8 (OH) 6 (NO 3 ) 4 -ZIF-8 nanocomposites (Pb-ZIF-8) can withstand common polar solvent attack. Taking advantage of blade-coating and laser etching, the Pb-ZIF-8 confidential films can be readily encrypted and subsequently decrypted through reaction with halide ammonium salt. Consequently, multiple cycles of encryption and decryption are realized by quenching and recovery of the luminescent MAPbBr 3 -ZIF-8 films with polar solvents vapor and MABr reaction, respectively. These results provide a viable approach to integrate the state-of-the-art materials perovskites and ZIF for applications in information encryption and decryption films with large scale (up to 6 × 6 cm 2 ), flexibility, and high resolution (approximate 5 μm line width).

What Is Known and Objective: Although immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have shown clinical benefit for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the efficacy of the combination of ICIs targeting different pathways is still unclear. We performed this meta-analysis to explore the efficacy of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) inhibitor plus programmed cell death 1 receptor (PD-1)/programmed cell death receptor ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor therapy (CP) for NSCLC IIIB/IV patients., Methods: We systematically searched the main databases for relevant studies. The main outcomes were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS)., Results and Discussion: We identified 3526 articles, including 5 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) (4377 patients), in our meta-analysis. We conducted two comparisons of CP versus chemotherapy or PD1/PDL1 inhibitor (P). Compared with chemotherapy, CP was more effective, with better OS (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.77, 95% CI [confidence interval]: 0.66-0.91; p = 0.001), better PFS (HR: 0.77, 95% CI: 0.70-0.85; p < 0.00001) and comparable objective response rate (ORR) (risk ratio [RR]: 1.27, 95% CI: 0.98-1.65; p = 0.07); in terms of toxicity, CP was comparable to chemotherapy across all-grade adverse events (AEs) (RR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.73-1.03; p = 0.11) and grade 3-5 AEs (RR: 0.85, 95% CI: 0.63-1.14; p = 0.27). Compared with P, CP had no superiority in efficacy in terms of the OS (HR: 1.04, 95%CI: 0.86-1.24; p=0.70), PFS (HR: 0.95, 95%CI: 0.75-1.22; p = 0.70) and the ORR (RR: 1.07, 95% CI: 0.95-1.21; p = 0.27) but CP was more effective than P when PD-L1 expression was <1% (RR: 0.77,95%CI: 0.60-0.98; p = 0.04); in terms of toxicity, CP was associated with increased all-grade AEs (RR:1.07, 95% CI: 0.97-1.19; p = 0.18) and grade 3-5 AEs (RR:1.58, 95% CI: 1.21-2.07; p = 0.0008)., What Is New and Conclusion: CP is a beneficial therapeutic schedule with longer PFS and OS than chemotherapy and has an acceptable, manageable grade 3-4 AE rate in IIIB/IV NSCLC. However, compared with P, CP results in better OS only in patients with PD-L1 expression <1%., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Effective treatments for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are urgently needed. The real role of corticosteroid use in COVID-19 has long been of interest and is disputable. Methods: We aimed to quantitatively reevaluate the efficacy of corticosteroids on COVID-19. Databases were searched for eligible meta-analyses/systematic reviews with available outcome data. For each association, we estimated the summary effect size with fixed- and random-effects models, 95% confidence intervals, and 95% prediction intervals. Heterogeneity, Egger's test, evidence of small-study effects and excess significance bias, and subgroup analyses were rigorously evaluated. Results: Intended outcomes of 12 eligible studies were mortality, clinical improvement, hospitalization, mechanical ventilation (MV), adverse events (AEs), intensive care unit (ICU) stay, hospital stay, virus clearance time (VCT), and negative conversion. Corticosteroid administration was associated with a 27% risk reduction in MV [hazard ratio (HR): 0.73 (0.64-0.83)] and a 20% reduction in mortality of critically ill/severe COVID-19 patients [HR: 0.80 (0.65-0.98)]. Interestingly, shorter ICU stays and, conversely, potentially longer hospital stays, a longer VCT, and a longer time to negative conversion were associated with corticosteroid use. There was no significant impact of different corticosteroid doses on mortality. Only one study showed slightly excess significant bias. Caution should be applied given the weak nature of the evidence, and it has been confirmed by sensitivity analyses too. Conclusion: This umbrella study found benefits from corticosteroids on MV and especially the mortality of critically ill/severe patients with shorter ICU stays but prolonged hospital stays and VCT. The benefits and harms should be reevaluated and balanced before corticosteroids are cautiously prescribed in clinical practice., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Cheng, Ma, Yang, Shao, Zhao and Zeng.)

Formamidinium lead triiodide (FAPbI 3 ) exhibits the smallest band gap among lead halide perovskites, which is more desirable for solar cell applications compared to methylammonium-based counterparts. However, it remains a big challenge to prepare phase-pure α-FAPbI 3 in addition to controlling the crystal morphology during film formation. Herein, we developed a temperature-assisted crystal growth to prepare high-quality thin films of α-FAPbI 3 by sequential blade coating. It is found that depositing organic cation FAI at elevated temperatures facilitates the growth of α-FAPbI 3 , which otherwise yields mainly a yellow δ-phase at room temperature. In parallel, the crystal morphology of the perovskite films can be effectively manipulated by taking advantage of the porous structure of PbI 2 . Solar cells prepared with the blade-coated α-FAPbI 3 yield a champion efficiency of 18.41%, which is among the highest values for FAPbI 3 -only solar devices. These results suggest that two-step sequential blade deposition offers a viable approach to fabricate high-quality α-FAPbI 3 films for optoelectronic applications.

Although the efficiency of small-size perovskite solar cells (PSCs) has reached an incredible level of 25.25%, there is still a substantial loss in performance when switching from small size devices to large-scale solar modules. The large efficiency deficit is primarily associated with the big challenge of coating homogeneous, large-area, high-quality thin films via scalable processes. Here, we provide a comprehensive understanding of the nucleation and crystal growth kinetics, which are the key steps for perovskite film formation. Several thin-film crystallization techniques, including antisolvent, hot-casting, vacuum quenching, and gas blowing, are then summarized to distinguish their applications for scalable fabrication of perovskite thin films. In viewing the essential importance of the film morphology on device performance, several strategies including additive engineering, Lewis acid-based approach, solvent annealing, etc., which are capable of modulating the crystal morphology of perovskite film, are discussed. Finally, we summarize the recent progress in the scalable deposition of large-scale perovskite thin film for high-performance devices.

Objective: To investigate the effects of high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) and partial liquid ventilation (PLV) on apoptosis of lung tissue induced by steam inhalation injury in rabbit., Design: A prospective, randomized, controlled, multiple-group study., Setting: An animal research laboratory centre in a university burns centre., Subjects: New Zealand rabbits (n = 32; 2.25 ± 0.25 kg) of either sex., Interventions: The animals were ventilated by HFOV with a mean airway pressure of 10 cm H2O, a frequency of 10 Hz, an amplitude of 20 cm H2O, an inspiratory:expiratory ratio of 1:1, and an FiO2 of 1.0. After the induction of acute lung injury (ALI) by steam inhalation, the animals were randomly divided into four groups: CMV, HFOV, CMV + PLV, HFOV + PLV group. Then they were ventilated for 4 h by CMV, HFOV, CMV + PLV and HFOV + PLV, respectively. After the experimental period, cell apoptosis and apoptosis indexes in the lung tissue were assessed with TUNEL FragELTM (Fragment End Labeling)., Results: Lung tissue apoptosis indexes in HFOV group and HFOV + PLV group were lower than that of in CMV group and CMV + PLV group; between-group comparison had significant difference (P < 0.01). HFOV + PLV group showed lowest apoptosis indexes., Conclusion: HFOV combined with PLV can suppress lung tissue apoptosis induced by steam inhalation.

Chronic rejection is a major cause of graft dysfunction and retransplantation after liver allotransplantation. Recent studies have implicated humoral response in this chronic rejection reaction. However, the manner in which humoral response is activated has not been fully investigated. In the present study, we address this question using our previously established chronic allograft liver rejection model induced by low-dose immunosuppressive cyclosporine (CsA) following Dark Agouti (DA) to Brown Norway (BN) liver transplantation. High-level donor-specific antibodies (IgG1 isotype), C4d deposition and histological graft damage indicated the involvement of humoral rejection in this chronic rejection reaction. In vitro assay showed that alloantibodies from pre-sensitized BN recipients induced apoptosis of bile ductal cells isolated from donor livers and the production of pro-fibrosis factors (TGF-beta, PDGF and FGF). Statistical analysis showed that the serum level of IL-10 was positively correlated with that of donor-specific antibodies (IgG1 isotype). Blockade of IL-10 in vivo down-regulated the level of donor-specific antibodies and ameliorated the outcome of chronic rejection. This suggests that humoral response in chronic allograft liver rejection is associated with Th2 type cytokine IL-10 and that Th2 response might promote chronic rejection by inducing a humoral response.